When setPromptText() is called on an already displayed ComboBox, one get the following exception.
The attached test case can help to reproduce if needed.

java.lang.RuntimeException: A bound value cannot be set.
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.set(StringPropertyBase.java:157)
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.set(StringPropertyBase.java:67)
at javafx.beans.property.StringProperty.setValue(StringProperty.java:84)
at javafx.beans.property.StringProperty.setValue(StringProperty.java:76)
at com.sun.javafx.binding.BidirectionalBinding$TypedGenericBidirectionalBinding.changed(BidirectionalBinding.java:468)
at com.sun.javafx.binding.ExpressionHelper$Generic.fireValueChangedEvent(ExpressionHelper.java:367)
at com.sun.javafx.binding.ExpressionHelper.fireValueChangedEvent(ExpressionHelper.java:100)
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.fireValueChangedEvent(StringPropertyBase.java:121)
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.markInvalid(StringPropertyBase.java:128)
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.set(StringPropertyBase.java:161)
at javafx.beans.property.StringPropertyBase.set(StringPropertyBase.java:67)
at javafx.scene.control.ComboBoxBase.setPromptText(ComboBoxBase.java:226)
at helloworld.HelloComboBoxJc$3.handle(HelloComboBoxJc.java:104)
at helloworld.HelloComboBoxJc$3.handle(HelloComboBoxJc.java:101)
at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventHandler.dispatchBubblingEvent(CompositeEventHandler.java:69)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent(EventHandlerManager.java:217)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent(EventHandlerManager.java:170)
at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventDispatcher.dispatchBubblingEvent(CompositeEventDispatcher.java:38)
at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(BasicEventDispatcher.java:37)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent(EventDispatchChainImpl.java:92)
at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(BasicEventDispatcher.java:35)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent(EventDispatchChainImpl.java:92)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEventImpl(EventUtil.java:53)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEvent(EventUtil.java:28)
at javafx.event.Event.fireEvent(Event.java:171)
at javafx.scene.Node.fireEvent(Node.java:6814)
at javafx.scene.control.Button.fire(Button.java:179)
at com.sun.javafx.scene.control.behavior.ButtonBehavior.mouseReleased(ButtonBehavior.java:193)
at com.sun.javafx.scene.control.skin.SkinBase$4.handle(SkinBase.java:336)
at com.sun.javafx.scene.control.skin.SkinBase$4.handle(SkinBase.java:329)
at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventHandler.dispatchBubblingEvent(CompositeEventHandler.java:64)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent(EventHandlerManager.java:217)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent(EventHandlerManager.java:170)
at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventDispatcher.dispatchBubblingEvent(CompositeEventDispatcher.java:38)
at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(BasicEventDispatcher.java:37)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent(EventDispatchChainImpl.java:92)
at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(BasicEventDispatcher.java:35)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent(EventDispatchChainImpl.java:92)
at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(BasicEventDispatcher.java:35)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent(EventDispatchChainImpl.java:92)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEventImpl(EventUtil.java:53)
at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEvent(EventUtil.java:33)
at javafx.event.Event.fireEvent(Event.java:171)
at javafx.scene.Scene$MouseHandler.process(Scene.java:3319)
at javafx.scene.Scene$MouseHandler.process(Scene.java:3159)
at javafx.scene.Scene$MouseHandler.access$1900(Scene.java:3114)
at javafx.scene.Scene.impl_processMouseEvent(Scene.java:1536)
at javafx.scene.Scene$ScenePeerListener.mouseEvent(Scene.java:2256)
at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.GlassViewEventHandler.handleMouseEvent(GlassViewEventHandler.java:227)
at com.sun.glass.ui.View.handleMouseEvent(View.java:528)
at com.sun.glass.ui.View.notifyMouse(View.java:921)
at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method)
at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.access$100(WinApplication.java:29)
at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication$2$1.run(WinApplication.java:62)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:662)